That's a headline I never thought I'd write.
Former Pantera and current Down vocalist Phil Anselmo is an avid boxing fan. 50 Cent is a hip-hop superstar and also an avid boxing fan.
Boxing Insider thought it would be a great idea for Phil to interview Fiddy.
What's interesting is that Phil fully admits to being out of the loop on hip hop and never hearing of the name 50 Cent until the interview. Regardless, he asks some great questions providing some deep insight into how boxing and music relate.
Phil: Do you see any parallels between music and boxing on a business level?
50-Cent: “Well yes. In the past the majority of the record companies were run continuously. Artists would come up and be really exciting at certain points and eventually go through that cycle of entertainment. Then, they (record companies) built entertainment to destroy them (the artists) for the sake of entertainment. And as you go up, and keep going up in an artist’s career, there’s no place to go but down shortly thereafter. And if you look at some of those older artists that are so talented, then ask yourself, ‘What happened to them?’ or ‘Why aren’t they still recording?’ or ‘Why aren’t they still exciting to the general public?’, it’s because the public follows that system. The shadow of doubt is cast over artists and music culture at different points. You have to be independent in order to work things out through that shadow. Because it’s this system that decides who is relevant, and companies have to see if they’re gonna continue to market and promote the actual projects anymore.
Phil asks some great questions, like the one below about the music business. We know metal bands struggle to make a buck, but turns out life is just as difficult for a mega-rich hip hop star:
Phil Anselmo: You are successful businessman, and musician… which do you consider yourself more of?
50-Cent: “Well without music I wouldn’t have the ability to be in business. The opportunity to be in business came with the finances from music and the notoriety that comes with being successful as an artist. So I see myself as an artist first, but I’m absolutely conscious of business. Technology changes the actual way people consume music, meaning they’re buying the download as opposed to going to the store to buy the physical CD’s. About 70% of today’s music sales are bought online.
“I see record companies shift also, because they’re not making the $19.99 per disc that they’re selling the full-length CD for because it’s $7.99 now online and the $4.99 or $6.99 they’d sell a single for, is now $.99. So you have to match-up with the timelines of major corporations’ launching campaigns the artist can be connected to, so it creates that strong visibility that was once provided by the actual record company in marketing monies. Now, it’s a collaboration between major corporations and the company themselves.
“Meaning, now the mainstream artist has become a complete marketing vehicle.“In my new music video featuring Eminem and Adam Levine called “My Life”, if you look close, there’s a Chrysler in the video that isn’t even on the market yet, so Chrysler provides marketing dollars.”
Granted, Chrysler isn't about to pay for product placement in a Down video, but the parallels are certainly interesting.
If you're a boxing fan, the entire interview is worth a read.
